March 31, 2010 – A team from the
Basque Institute for
Agricultural Research and Development (Neiker-Tecnalia) has questioned
the
generally held belief that the quality of tomatoes depends primarily on
their
exposure to natural light and states that the most determining factor is
temperature.

WEB EXCLUSIVE
New tomato research on temperature effects
A team from the
Basque Institute for
Agricultural Research and Development (Neiker-Tecnalia) has questioned
the
generally held belief that the quality of tomatoes depends primarily on
their
exposure to natural light and states that the most determining factor is
temperature.

Growers
can now build and heat a “virtual” greenhouse – or upgrade existing
greenhouses – on a computer, to find out how much it would cost to heat
with different fuels, heating schedules, heaters, building designs and
materials.

Considerable input savings may be possible, along with improved yields and reduced disease pressures. The results, which come from only one year of testing and one year of growing, are “very promising,” according to one expert.